1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic book (c gook) (e-book). More particularly, the present invention relates to a user interface for managing e-books in an electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the growth of Internet and digital technology, books are now produced in a digital form. Such books are designated as e-books. It is expected that e-books are widely used in the digital age due to their low prices since e-books do not incur a publishing cost, do not consume materials such as paper and ink, do not cause anxiety about sufficient supply, and do not incur a distribution cost. At present, e-books occupy a very small portion in the book market, but it is expected that they will occupy a considerable portion in the future since the number of e-books published is gradually increasing and even the e-book market scale is increasing day by day.
With the increased use of smart phones, it seems apparent that the smart phones would be more preferred as e-book terminals. If the smart phones are utilized as the e-book terminals, it will be possible to develop contents not only supporting various multimedia functions of e-books possessed by dedicated terminals but also supporting interaction using the various devices and sensors of the smart phones. In recent years, as the number and sophistication of functions of the smart phone has increased and improved, an attempt is being made to provide various educational services. For example, various sensors and devices are being used for correction of a user's pronunciation, for writing exercises using a touch sensor, and even for homework submission through the Internet.
To use the e-book, a user installs an e-book program or application in the smart phone and receives access to the e-book through the Internet or through an external port (e.g., a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, etc.) of the smart phone and then, whenever the user wants something to read the e-book, executes the e-book program and selects the e-book for display.
The e-book application of the related art provides a user interface displaying e-books stored in a smart phone's memory in a bookshelf form or displaying the stored e-books in a list form.
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate examples of displaying e-books in a smart phone according to the related art.
FIG. 1A illustrates an example of displaying e-books in a bookshelf form, and FIG. 1B illustrates an example of displaying the e-books in a list form.
E-book applications are mostly provided in a list form or a thumbnail image (i.e., an image containing outer cover information) form. By sorting e-books by reception date, author, or title when a user views the e-book application in the list form, the e-book application provides a display that is convenient to the user. However, this construction is a common display scheme for general users.
Recently, the increased use of smart phones has resulted in an increased interest in e-books. More specifically, there is a growing interest for educational e-books and educational applications (hereinafter, referred to as “applications”), such as a general book, a textbook, an exercise book, and the like. The educational applications of concern are mostly for textbooks and textbook related contents, and their targets are students who attend classes (or lectures). However, there is not currently a user friendly interface for viewing e-books.
Accordingly, students and other users who make use of books or textbooks or participants who listen to lectures require a user interface for viewing e-books.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention.